A pair of struggling teams are competing in an inter-conference game on the floor in the Sunshine State. The Golden State Warriors are traveling as they head to Orlando to play the Magic on Thursday night. Golden State is coming off a road defeat to Miami on Tuesday night in which they lost 116-109 and failed to cover the spread as a 1.5-point underdog. In their previous game on Tuesday night, Orlando lost 116-108 to Oklahoma City on the road and failed to hit the line as a 3.5-point underdog. The Magic hold a 34-32 advantage in the all-time regular season series between the teams, including winning the most recent game 94-90 at home on March 22, 2022.
Are Warriors Gonna Find their Form Back?
Golden State lost their third game in a row and fourth in their last five matches. The Warriors lost, dropping to 3-5 overall. They were 3.5 games back of the Suns in the Pacific Division standings as of Wednesday. Golden State fell behind by nine after the first quarter and by two at the half against Miami before pulling ahead by as much as 10 points in the third. After three quarters, the Warriors led by eight points, but they stumbled in the fourth. The Heat scored the game’s final seven points to break a 109-109 deadlock and upset the Warriors as Golden State went scoreless over the final 2:07 of play.
With a collective field points percentage of 46.5% for the season, Golden State is ranked 17th in the league. The Warriors shot 34.6% from beyond the arc as a team, which ranks them 20th in three-point percentage but seventh in the league in terms of threes made per game (14.5 triples per game).
Iguodala missed the game on Tuesday due to a hip injury but could play today. DiVincenzo (hamstring) is currently out for the remainder of this five-game road trip and will likely be reassessed this weekend.
Orlando Confident for a Win after Disappointing Couple of Games
Orlando lost at Oklahoma City on Tuesday night and finished their road trip with a record of 0–2. The Magic slipped to 1-7 on the year and were 3.5 games behind the Hawks for first place in the Southeast Division heading into Wednesday. Orlando’s defeat was brought on by the game’s 24 turnovers. With 30 points and 12 rebounds, Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic in the defeat.
The Magic average 105.9 points per game on the season, which ranks them 28th in the NBA in the scoring offense going into this matchup. Orlando ranks 28th in assists per game with 19.9 assists while ranking 7th in the league with 46 rebounds per game. In terms of scoring defense, the Magic rank 12th in the league.
Prediction for Warriors vs. Magic
There are quite some things to discover before jumping to the conclusion about who will win and who will lose. First of all, the form of both teams has been pretty much the same, i.e. poor. The Warriors have been the most disappointing ones, losing 4 matches in their last 5. Orlando Magic have been in some poor form as well, losing both of their last matches. However, looking at the squads of both sides, it would be safe to say that the Warriors are currently the better team among the two.
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